Community Comments . . .

Yesterday, Casey Conklin offered this thoughtful comment: As it seems increasingly unlikely that the person who put poison down in the park will be caught, the fact is we may never know what motivated them to do that. It is easy, and natural I suppose to assume that this was someone with a grudge against dogs - but there is no proof of that. In fact, it is now understood that in most cases of animal cruelty - and surely this crime qualifies - the act has very little, if anything, do to with the animal(s) targeted. It has much more to do with the person's own psychological problems and needs. For example, a desire to garner a great deal of attention - even if it's all negative - can be a huge motivating factor. The dogs may have simply provided an easily accessible platform. We just don't know. Therefore, I don't think we should jump to the conclusion that the poisoning of Withrow Park was meant as a commentary on the situation around a few errant dog owners. Let's remember that the majority of dog owners visiting Withrow Park are compliant with Leash and Stoop&Scoop by-laws. Is Withrow park big enough to support an Off Leash Area? Studies suggest it is more than big enough - even for a multi-use, urban park. More importantly, what happens if you take the Off Leash Area away? Will that improve things? Will the dog owners in this neighbourhood simply melt away? I would argue that you would end up with several hundred angry, disenfranchised dog owners that no longer care one wit where or when they walk their dogs - off leash, or otherwise! Will getting rid of the Off Leash Area mean more enforcement from Animal Services? There are many, many parks in Toronto that don't have OLAs - they all get the same relative degree of enforcement attention - which I think we can all agree is pretty thin. It would however mean the end of the Withrow Park Dog Owners' Assoc., as the OLA is that group's reason for being. That would mean the loss of an important, direct line of communication between the dog owners and the rest of our community. Generally, the whole thing would be a big step backward. Obviously, if providing an Off Leash Area for dogs was the ultimate solution we wouldn't be having this discussion. An OLA in any park is just part of a solution to ensure equitable and safe use of urban park space. Enforcement is another part. Changing attitudes is the final and most challenging part. We haven't really even scratched the surface on that...